Rookie Cavaliers swingman Dylan Windler fractured the fourth metacarpal of his left hand after suffering a fall during the third quarter of Cleveland’s season opener last night, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. An initial postgame X-ray did not reveal any damage, but the fracture was discovered in subsequent tests.
Windler will be re-evaluated in a week, and a timeline projection for his return to game action could be made after that. The Cavaliers would not divulge whether the fracture was displaced or non-displaced, which can impact recovery time.
Fedor notes that the average amount of time missed due to a fourth metacarpal fracture has been about 15 games since the 2005/06 season.
Last season, Raptors forward Norman Powell suffered the same injury last year and missed about a month of action, while then-Celtics forward Gordon Hayward missed 13 games after incurring the same fracture.
Drafted with the No. 26 pick out of Belmont in 2019, Windler missed the entirety of the 2019/20 NBA season after suffering a left lower leg stress reaction at the beginning of the year. In his first nine minutes NBA action before the injury, Windler made one three-pointer and notched two steals. The Cavaliers went on to beat the Hornets in a 121-114 victory last night.
put a plate on it and get playing.
It’s unfair due to injuries, but this guy will probably go down like Justin Patton as a bust. Teams are not willing or able to wait for players to heal from multiple injuries at the beginning of their careers.
He’s going to be a very good player if he stays healthy!
Too bad, he seems like a tough kid. Been watching him in preseason and he rebounds well and is aggressive. Thats always a get character trait, especially in a shooter.
Yeah well getting injured in the first game is decidedly NOT a good trait lol. Great way to hide though if the big leagues are too stressful…
merry christmas u jabronis
Poor guy can’t stay healthy